The Beauty of The Beast
by Cheryl-chan
Summary: *Shounen-ai* For a boy who seeks adventure, yet is unwilling to leave back his loved ones; and the other who has all the power in the world, but to be burdened by loneliness. The two come clashing in the most unexpected of ways, whereas could love exist?
1. Watch

PART 1 

Prologue: How it Began.

Naruto sat on his bed and yawned tiredly. With his elbows on the window sill and his face perched up onto his hands, he looked out of the large window beside his bed and relaxed at the sight of a hazy bright orange globe that hovered slightly over the horizen, bathing the town in it's yolk-yellow rays. It had been a long day, after tiring hours of tending to his guardians store. He had nearly dropped to his knees in exhaustion. 

It wasn't as though he didn't enjoy taking care of Iruka's small bakery, it's just that people were so boring these days; actually it was more that his life was so boring these days. Day after day, it was the same old routine over and over again. There was no spark or excitement to actually make him look forward to the mornings to come. 

Naruto gave a long haggard sigh, as he tilted his head to one side. The locks of golden hair was turned to a deep fiery orange against the sunlight. 

The small bakery was set on a tall hill, so that his window was able to overlook most of his home. Naruto's eyes flicked over the small village; small but pretty in it's own way. Small cottage-like houses scatted it selves here and there, and a small paven road twisted like a snake out to a small opening in a forest adults have long warned children to never go into. Naruto watched the town, knowing that he loved it and the friendly people it inhabited, but he also knew that he couldn't be fixated in the same pattern, same routine for long.       

Naruto's eyes caught sight of the forest once again and his mouth quirked up into a small smile. How long has it been? When he would catch himself dreaming of venturing into the forest and finding out what was the very thing the villagers were so afraid of? Those towering bright green trees that should have stood menacingly in front of him like they were guarding a small treasure from him or beckoned his attention closer. 

He longed to find out what was there; his curiosity was something the villagers knew well of. As well as his lack of regard for rules, which was why he was also considered a threat to them. Naruto knew that some of those bitchy villagers and neighbors would come daily to badger Kakashi and Iruka, telling them that their queerly intimate relationship was hardly any good on him. 

Naruto frowned darkly, he was never bothered by their relationship, though he had to admit to himself it was quite a shock when the guardian whom had taken care of him for 4 years came to him and brought out a tall young fair-haired man by the name of Kakashi. It was 9 years ago when he was six. Naruto liked him well enough, though the man constantly teased him for his disregard for anything people tell him. 

" Naruto, someday, me and Iruka would come into your room and find your bed empty. Because you'd would be gone, following your own curious ways and we would have to come and rescue you once again." He told him once too often. Naruto had often gotten annoyed by that. Because he knew that Kakashi and Iruka had helped him out of various situations many times. But he didn't like to be thought of as someone who needed someone to be taken care of.

Naruto's eyes continued to linger at the opening of that forest, seeming to welcome him yet at the same time warning him. His heart longed to go out there and explore what was a vastly large world in front of him, yet his heart still belonged to his home. And he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave and be weighed down with the burden of the guilt that he had leaved his loved ones behind.

" Naruto! Dinner!!" A distant voice from downstairs called to him impatiently, and Naruto suddenly awakened from his dreamlike trance.

" Coming!" He yelled back, scrambling up onto his feet. He bounded down the wooden staires heavily, hearing it creak and whine under his weight. His house had three stories, the roof belonged to Naruto alone, a small room with the wooden ceiling arching upwards like the shape of the roof. 

The bottom level was the bakery, where the stoves and ovens were, and the small café at the front was. A delicious aroma of dough baking to a golden brown wafted out always, something Naruto considered a smell he knew he would love for his life. 

The middle was Iruka and Kakashi's room, where Naruto was ordered to not go into. Though he had entered the room often enough in the middle of the night when he was younger, when nightmares still haunted him every night of his parent's death. Of course, Iruka and Kakashi would at first scold him gently for disturbing them, but they would always let him snuggle into the small bed with them anyways. He would be squashed in the middle, but he would always sleep soundly, because the weight of the two men's arms atop of his was always nice. 

Naruto felt a sorrow wash over him momentarily, he seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from the two men with every dream. Even if he were able to gather up the courage to leave the village, would he ever be able to leave Kakashi and Iruka? Naruto sighed, it was all for the best if he was to live as he did now.

Naruto entered the kitchen where five large black stoves were stacked at a side of the room and dozens of long silver trays carried breads of all kinds. Naruto quickly grabbed a warm bun just fresh out of the oven before Kakashi who had been walking in as well grabbed it out of his hands swiftly and sunk his teeth into it before Naruto could get it back.

" Slow." Kakashi muttered out of the corner of his mouth, so that Iruka wouldn't hear. Naruto glared at him and was about to grab another when Iruka's hand descended on his with a hard slap. Naruto quickly jumped back and rubbed his hand sorely.

" Iruuuuka!!" Naruto whined before Iruka gave him a sharp glance.

" It's dinner time people, don't fill your stomachs up with bread before you get a chance to try out my newest dish." Iruka explained, then walked to the stove to carry a large bubbling caldren of some kind of greenish yellowish mush.

Naruto and Kakashi groaned together as they sat at the small table in the center of the room. 

" Ugh. Can't we ever eat normal food like pasta or sandwiches or something??" Naruto complained, his nose wrinkling up at the sight of the poison Iruka called dinner.

" Iruka," Kakashi started patiently, his eyes getting the same look as Naruto, the kind that screamed 'save me!', " You know we both love a lot. But you can't help but admit that you don't have much of a talent for cooking."

Iruka stared at them blankly before he smiled a slow smile that made both Naruto and Kakashi shiver. " I've been feeding you two for how many years now? And you still complain?? I don't see you two finding the time to cook! Besides, my food can't be 'that' bad!" Iruka said angrily. Before he grabbed a wooden ladle and scooped a spoonful of the 'stuff' to prove his point. Naruto and Kakashi both gulped nervously, silently praising Iruka for his courage as he stuffed the spoon into his mouth and chewed experimentally.

They both watched intently, watching Iruka's face turn several shades of different colours and fought the urge to laugh out loud. 

" It's uh- very good… I dunno what you're saying…" Iruka said slowly with his mouth full, but his eyes betrayed what he though anyways. Iruka swallowed with obvious difficulty and coughed several times before he poured the whole mess into the sink.

He turned around to catch sight of Naruto's knowing smile and Kakashi's raised brow. Iruka raised his eyebrows innocently.

" What?? It went bad! So what?" He said defensively. Kakashi got up to pat him on the back.

" I think it was bad from the start." He said, speaking out everyone's thoughts. Kakashi then pecked at Iruka's cheek when he saw his crest-fallen face. " I still look up to you with great honour for your bravery and courage from eating that crap." Kakashi tried to make him feel better.

Naruto made a face at them. " No lovey-dovey stuff with the cool guy in the room."

Kakashi made a point of looking around the room. " Cool guy? Where??" Naruto shot him a playful glare. Kakashi threw his arm over Iruka's shoulders and grinned at both of them. Iruka suddenly stared pointedly at Naruto with a strange expression on his face. Naruto took several steps back, he knew that look very well.

" Naruto- I met this young girl named Sakura today. Pretty little thing, smart too, I think you'd like her…" Iruka started and Naruto forced down a groan.

Kakashi grinned behind Iruka's head, flashing him a *V* sign. Iruka looked at him hopefully, and Naruto almost felt sorry for him. Iruka's been trying for the last few months to hook him up with some other girl and even though it was fun at first, Naruto was beginning to tire of it and find it annoying. He knew Iruka did it for his sake, wanting him to feel the love of a relationship like he and Kakashi had, but Naruto for now was content with just being with them.

" Iee~ Iruka!" Naruto whined. " No more no more!!"

" But Naruto! You've got to find someone soon before you die to be some lonely old guy!" Iruka argued back.

Naruto shook his head, desperately trying to find a way out of this without hurting Iruka's feelings.

" Uh… a-eeto… I…" Naruto suddenly thought of something. " I already found someone!!" He blurted out quickly, hands a little sweaty.

Kakashi raised a brow, surprised yet amused; but Iruka clapped his hands happily and smiled warmly at him.

" That's great! That's great!!!" Iruka seemed overjoyed, and Naruto let out the breath he had been holding. Kakashi glanced at him suspiciously before a grin lighted his face, not one that Naruto liked at all.

" Where did you meet this particular person Naruto?? What is she like?" Kakashi asked casually, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. Naruto glared at him when Iruka turned away but quickly covered it when Iruka looked back at him curiously as well.

" Ahh! I want to know too??" Iruka said excitedly. " Is the person nice?? Romantic?? Pretty??"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, hating Kakashi for this.

" She is uh… very nice… and pretty… and kinda romantic too." Naruto words stumbled out clumsily. Iruka looked down for a moment because he expected a little more on the mystery person, but he smiled anyways and tugged away from Kakashi's arm to grab the keys on the table.

" To celebrate this wonderful occasion, we're go out to eat- my treat."

Naruto perked up exceptionally.

" Ramen?" He asked instantly.

Iruka laughed. " Sure."

All three of them, linking arms walked happily out of the small house that spelled home. Naruto realized then that- there really is no place like home.

*

                " Naaaruto!! Come back here and pay me back for that apple!!" An angry voice hollered out as Naruto quickly leaped over onto his bike and began pedaling away as fast as he could.

                " Put it on my tab!!" He called back, his bike jumped a little on the uneven stone path that ran downhill.

                " You must owe at least 50 dollars from your goddamn tab already you little fuck!" The storekeeper yelled afterwards, though there really wasn't much malice in his voice. Naruto grinned, swerving away from the many wooden stands along the walls of the narrow street selling foods and clothes and such. There were many people bubbling around the street. He continuously had to scream at the people to get out of the way as he rolled down the steep road at a nearly uncontrollable speed.

                Finally, he pulled himself to a stop when he neared his destination and hopped off the bike. Pulling the bike to the side and perching it against the brick wall of some shop, he took a crisp bite out of the apple and chewed thoughtfully before he spit out the skin. Naruto walked along the wall before he found a crooked green door and opened it. Sliding inside stealthily so that no one could see him, he began to walk through a small dark alleyway. He paused briefly to look up, and smiled at the sight of the thin strip of blue sky along the two towering walls on either side of him.

                Finally, walking forward a bit more, he stopped at a small wooden door on the end and pushed his way in. Naruto loved the smell of incense, the kind that overwhelmed him every time he stepped into the store. 

Naruto took a look around, small queer little things were everywhere- from stacks upon stacks of thick old-smelling books with faded spines but still retaining it's honour with it's gold rimmed edges, to the small yellow canary in the large golden cage that sang a greeting to him. 

There were two window in the far end of the room, with dusty coloured panes where light poured through and set hazy swirls of brilliance onto everything in the room. Despite that, the place was dimly lit, so dark actually that Naruto had to feel his way around before he felt a metal beaded string and pulled on it. All of a sudden, a warm tangy glow spilled onto the room from the large lamp near the entrance. Naruto took a deep breath, enjoying the lovely musty smell that only things that often held many memories could emit.

" Hello??" Naruto called uncertainly. His voice echoed through the room eerily, and Naruto squinted his eyes to see the back of the room, which was so dark all he could see was a stark blackness. Suddenly, a light switched on at the back for Naruto to see someone emerge from the beaded curtain at the back.

" Saae?" Naruto asked, unsure because the person was too shadowed for him to see who it was.

" No, Gaara." A soft voice piped up, before a young boy the same age as Naruto walked into the light. Naruto gave him a warm smile, which Gaara return before Gaara peered at him curiously.

"Grandpa needs to do something today, is there anything I can do for you?" He asked gently, and Naruto felt himself relax. 

" Uh…" Naruto pulled out a large book with yellowed pages and a thick leather cover and handed it to Gaara. " Here- Your grandfather lent it to me last week and I wanted to return it." Naruto answered nervously, scratching the back of his head. He doesn't see Gaara very often, most kids at school told him he was a strange kid who rarely talked to anyone and mostly kept to himself. They rarely spoke of him in a friendly manner.

Gaara stretched out a pale thin hand so fragile Naruto was afraid he would be unable to hold up the weight of the heavy book. But Gaara set it aside with an uncanny ease and Naruto found himself raising his brow in surprise. Gaara peered back at him blankly.

" Is there… anything else I can help you with?" He asked softly. His eyes bore into Naruto's and Naruto found himself looking away blinking uncomfortably.

" Um… I came to ask your grandfather about the forest at the side of the village..." Naruto muttered. " But it's okay." 

Gaara smiled at him, though the intention was to be kind, Naruto found it rather chilling. 

" I actually know a lot about the certain forest you speak of. I may be of help to you." Gaara said quietly, before he led Naruto to two couches that once were probably bright in colour but had faded throughout the years. Naruto dropped onto the couch, wheezing slightly when a cloud of dust floated up from the chair. Gaara sat gently beside him.

" So- Could you tell me about what it is??" Naruto asked with slight hesitance. Gaara stared at him, his eyes glowed eerily because the lighting in the corner was dim.

"I'm sure many have told you that- oh perhaps- there are many evil things that lurk in the forest waiting to devour you and such?" Gaara said in both a bemused yet spiteful manner. Naruto nodded in answer, wondering at the back of his head whether Gaara could actually see him in the dark.

There was a light intake of breath.

" I'll tell you of an old English folklore that has been passed down for generations for family members." A pause. 

"_Delve into the forest of dark and light,_

_ where truths might be lies yet wrongs may be rights._

_ And in the deepest deep, there is no such light, _

_And  consciousness and knowledge is swallowed by night._

_ There lives an ageless of wisdom and might,_

_ that stuns you momentarily with merely a sight._

_ Thee devours all answers and keeps as his own, _

_never a borrow, never a loan._

_ He is of kind, of hatred yet hope,_

_ he is of one that much cannot cope. _

_ A stranger of mystery, of power; one said;_

_ he is the living, the immorta,l the dead_." (C-chan: I suck with rhymes^^;;)__

Naruto stared at him, confused. " Wow…" He said a little unsurely. Gaara continued to smile at him, and now both his eyes and teeth glowed as thought there was light itself in them.

" It's been translated in many ways, not many know of this, and those who do do not know of what it means." 

" What does it mean?"

The smile grew wider.

" It's been told that there was an evil socerer who lives deep in the forest, he was once a man who lived in the village himself, yet so many horrible occurances happened that people began to blame it on him and his powers. Therefore, he was banished from the village and instead lived in the forest alone. This was over 2 centuries ago though, and many still say he's alive, retaining his youth for he holds the darkest powers." Gaara explained. 

" But my ancesters were said to have been friends with him, and it's been known in our family that it is in fact that he is not at all a harmful man. But rather a kind caring young man…" Gaara's smile slowly returned to a sad frown. " Even if he still lives, it is most likely that he is not the man he was before, his heart must be frozen due the years of solitude and the pain the village has inflicted on him."

Naruto listened as though in a trance, his eyes widening in interest. Once again, he found his dream of exploring the world rekindled again and it was a wonderfully warm feeling that sent tingles down his spine. 

" The sorceror then… it could be that he is still there?? After so long??" Naruto asked quickly, his eyes brightening with excitement. Gaara nodded.

" Not many have seen him, but many have disappeared into the forest and not come back. It is what makes the fear of the village grow."

Naruto smiled dreamily. " This is so cool, who knew out boring town would have such an exciting history." Naruto laughed.

Gaara chuckled as well, though there was still a hidden darkness behind the laugh. 

" Who knows… I'm not even sure what I believe anymore. My grand father have told me many times that the man was good, but my faith has started to deteriorate already. There has been too much that had happened, too many coincidences, that everything just can't piece together easily." Gaara's voice leveled to such a softness Naruto had to tilt his head slightly to listen better.

" He may be a good man, but after so many years, the heart of one's who has not blackened must be a strong one." Gaara ended lightly, his eyes moved up to look distantly over to some window. Naruto shrugged.

" Maybe all of us are too much of cowards to actually figure this out!" Naruto said loudly to regain Gaara's attention. " I've been thinking about it a lot lately, for such a long time about whether I should go and look into the forest myself… but…" Naruto swallowed. He suddenly remembered the kind villagers, Kakashi's sarcastic but caring manner and Iruka's warm loving nature. Perhaps he was a coward himself as well. If being unable to leave loved ones makes you a coward… then he was as much of a coward as it can get.

" I-I…" Naruto froze and suddenly shivered, he felt the cold fingers of fear lick at the nape of his neck. Naruto stood up urgently. "I'm sorry, I have to get home now. I have a feeling something's gone wrong." Naruto said in a hurry, before he thanked the boy quickly before racing out of the room.

Gaara placed his pale hands on the book Naruto brought back, and glanced sadly at the closing door. Giving a long tired sigh, he lifted thin hands to his eyes and rubbed them gently.

" He can be saved…"

***

Naruto raced home on his bike, not minding the harsh screams at him when he nearly crashed into several people and not caring about the bloodied scratches on his face when he rose through the shortcut where thorned thickets covered the area. He knew that something was wrong.

Naruto felt a sharp pain suddenly hit at his chest, then melt to a numbing one. Naruto bit his lip, and mentally ordered his legs to go faster even though it probably wasn't possible.

When he finally got to his home, he swerved past the tall trees that surrounded his home and jumped off his bike. Naruto slammed through the back door quickly and froze at the sight.

Kakashi was on the floor, his back was towards Naruto but his shoulders were shaking visibly. Naruto walked towards him slowly, bracing himself for whatever horribly thing that had happened.

" Kakashi??' Naruto questioned softly, and held his breath as Kakashi turned already slowly. 

" Naruto!!!" Naruto swallowed a startled gasp as Kakashi glomped at him. " You're home you're home!!" Kakashi said joyfully. Naruto shoved him away with both an amused and disgusted look on his face.

" Arg!! Get away from me you pervert!!" Naruto yelled loudly, glaring at Kakashi. Kakashi grinned at him mischievously and carefully revealed a small book that was in his hands. Naruto quickly grabbed it out of Kakashi's hands and look over the title quickly.

" 101 ways to please your lover?" Naruto said raising his brow. He quickly flipped to the first page.

" The first and most important way to please your lover…" Naruto tore his eyes away from the page to stare at Kakashi incredulously. 

" – is to make sure that he or she must feel loved and cared for in the most passionate of ways. For example, you must show your affection for him or her in the most exeuberantly when they come home per-say from a tiring day of work. Make it known that you have missed him or her a lot and you are extremely happy to have him or her by your side once again…" Naruto trailed off silently, amazed at the lameness of the book.

Naruto hit Kakashi on the head with the book and crossed his arms over his chest.

" Kakashi, let's try 'not' showing your affection for me most exauberantly when I come home." Naruto said sarcastically. " I'm not Iruka, bastard. Save that stuff for the real thing."

Kakashi shrugged before he grabbed the book back out of Naruto's hands slipped it back into his back pocket.

" I just needed a little practice, that's all." Kakashi laughed. Naruto stared at him in question before he scanned the room quickly.

" Where is Iruka anyways?"

Kakashi shrugged again. " He went out to pick flowers." 

" Seriously."

" Some pretty flowers for me."

" Kakashi…" Naruto said warningly. Kakashi grinned.

" He went out to the forest to find mushrooms or something." Kakashi said just as the bell rang. Kakashi walked quickly out of the room to the bakery, Naruto followed him.

" What do you mean? I thought we weren't allowed to go there!" 

Kakashi went over to the counter where the cash register was and nodded quickly at the two new customers. Naruto stood by the door patiently as Kakashi tended with them.

" Two loaves of bread? Ah- coming right up." 

Kakashi strode his way back into the kitchen and took a brown paper bag from the table beside the door to shove two fresh warm loaves of bread into it. Swiftly grabbing some tape and sealing the bag with it, Kakashi went back to the customers with Naruto trailing behind him.

                " Yah, but this is important. Iruka's grandfather- oh, two dollars 50 cents please- you have met him before right?? Well he- Here's your bread madame- He has gotten deathly ill and Iruka has to brew up some kind of cure for him… Here's your change, thank you and please come again." Kakashi flashed a warm smile to the customer, or at least Naruto thought so since the scarf Kakashi wore all the time just about covered every faciel expression he could show.

                Naruto put his hands on his hips, knowing the nagging feeling inside of his head that something was presently wrong was still there. Naruto stood there in silence for a moment, and Kakashi suddenly noticing it watched him closely.

                Kakashi frowned deeply and looked at the watch on his wrist. " He should have been back a while ago though…' Kakashi started. " But I didn't think much of it because he was a grown man that could take care of himself… but…" Kakashi suddenly looked uneasy, obviously realizing now the seriousness of the issue. 

                Naruto was about to strangle him, his steely cold blue eyes glared dangerously at Kakashi. " What the hell?? How could you do that! Iruka's your lover, you should have taken better care of him than to let him out by himself into some forest where anything could happen!!" Naruto yelled.

                Kakashi glanced coolly back at him, and a cold silence swept through the room as two eyes locked together. 

The silence was interrupted by the bang of the door.

                Naruto and Kakashi quickly broke out of their glare and walked quickly to the door, each stride synchronized in their hurry. They both rushed through the door to see a sweaty and bloody Iruka there, still breathing haggardly from his journey.

                " Guys…" Iruka smiled weakly at them before falling from exaustion.

                " Iruka!!!!!!!" Naruto yelled as Kakashi was by his lover's side in a split of a second. Kakashi quickly pulled Iruka into his arms and walked over to another from to place him on the couch.

                " Naruto, go and get a bowl of warm water and a towel, and get the bandaging cloth too!" Kakashi ordered calmly, although there was an urgency in Kakashi's voice Naruto seldom heard that was usually only reserved for Iruka. Naruto paused only for a second before he rushed out of the room to grab the supplies and went back quickly.

                Naruto passed the supplies to Kakashi and gazed at Iruka.

                " He's ok, isn't he?" Naruto asked Kakashi, his brows pushing together in extreme worry. Kakashi remained silent, only dabbing the towel into the warm water and pressing it gently into Iruka's wounds. Iruka suddenly jumped, pain startling him out of unconsiousness and hissed at the pain. 

                Kakashi caressed Iruka's face tenderly, love evident in his eyes. Naruto blinked at the sudden intensity of emotion and felt uncomfortable.

                Iruka smiled at them, before he lifted himself up slightly, teeth clenching in pain.

                " What happened Iruka!! Why were you gone for so long, why are you hurt like that!! Why did you go into the forest like that!!" Naruto asked abruptedly, worry and curiosity getting the better of him.

                Kakashi glanced at him sharply and Naruto quieted immediately.

                " I-…" Iruka stopped, and Naruto glanced at him in concern.

                " Kakashi, Naruto, I'm sorry but I have to leave you guys…"

                Everything was quiet at the sudden declaration.

 " Just- I love you a lot, please don't forget that." Kakashi's hand suddenly stopped at mid-caress and he started incredulously at Iruka. Naruto opened his mouth several times before he stomped over to Iruka.

                " What the fuck are you talking about! Leaving us! You just friggin' came back and you didn't even explain what happened to us." Naruto cried angrily at him. 

                " Shit Naruto. What makes you think I want to leave, but I am not one to break a promise." Iruka said harshly.

                " WHAT?? Are you sick?? Are you going to die?? What are you saying!!!" Naruto screamed, wondering if Iruka was just joking with him and he was making an idiot of himself. There was a ringing in his ears that disrupted all coherent thought in his shock at Iruka's words and all he could do was wish to God that Iruka was joking.

                Iruka gave a hoarse cough, his eyes looking tired. Yet they held no contempt. From a pocket, he took out a small leather bag and placed it into Kakashi's hands.

                " The mushrooms… give it to grandfather for me?" Iruka asked quietly to Kakashi, his eyes pleading. Kakashi hesitated for a moment, before his eyes softened in understand and his palm closed up without a word. Naruto stared at the exchange in confusion, feeling like he was missing on a lot.

                But before Naruto could open his mouth, Iruka had begun to speak once again.

                " I'm sorry Naruto. But I owe the man that had helped me when I injured myself. He healed most of my fatal wounds even though I had stepped into his property and stolen his mushrooms. He wants company in return and that is all I can give. I promised him I would go back to him after I bid you guys farewell." Iruka said tiredly, but his decision firm in his voice. Naruto stared at him mouth agape, unable to believe how much could change in a matter of minutes.

                " What?? Can't you just stay here?? What kind of bastard is he?? Asking for you to stay with him?? Is he some psychotic dude or something??" Naruto yelled angrily at him, surprised at how easily Iruka could take this.

                " He saved my life Naruto, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here. It's the least I could do in return. I have to leave and meet him in the forest tomorrow, he already let me visit you guys once more." Iruka said stubbornly, the hard look in his eyes told Naruto that he would not be changing his mind. Naruto felt his insides shattering, disbelief on his face. But on the inside, he knew his guardian's morals well, but he felt like crying in spite of it.

                Naruto felt a prickling at his eyes and fought the urge to let his tears fall, the man who has taking care of him for so many years has just suddenly decided to leave him forever? That was just too much to take! Naruto's face crinkled up in confused loneliness and pain and suddenly ran out of the room, wishing Iruka and Kakashi not to see the pain that was breaking his heart.

                In the room, neither Iruka or Kakashi moved an inch, eyes locked on the door Naruto had ran out of. Iruka gave a long haggard sigh, he had expected the reaction but he never expected how hard it would be to leave Naruto. He truly loved the boy a lot. 

Kakashi patted him gently on the shoulder, his kind eyes so full of understanding Iruka knew at once just why he loved the man so much as well. He lifted himself up slightly to wrap his arms around Kakashi's neck and gave him a hard hug. 

***

                Naruto ran up to his room, trying to force down the sobs that were threatening to burst out of him any moment. A hard look was regained in his eyes before he paused in mid-step and swore quietly under his breath. Suddenly, he collapsed against the stairs and fell down to the floor, leaning against the wall.

                " I can't… I can't let him do that." Naruto told himself. He desperately tried to think up of ways to stop Iruka from going but nothing came to mind, He felt so helpless.

                " I-… that bastard wanted some company!! What the hell is that??" Naruto said to himself, anger taking place of sadness. But hopelessness was still there, a growing emptiness that filled him as the realization of Iruka never being there anymore hit him with the strength of a tsunami. Naruto shook his head, and wrapped lean arms around his knees. What about Kakashi? What would happen between him and Iruka?

                " They don't deserve to be separated." Naruto told himself firmly, knowing that the love between the two was too great for one to leave the other. Kakashi loved Iruka so much, it wasn't fair that this should happen. Naruto knew that out of everything, what he wanted most was happiness for the two.

                " I-I…" Naruto dropped his face onto his knees. If that bastard wanted some company, then Iruka didn't deserve to be the one to go. 

                Naruto made his decision. He'll go instead, for the sake of Kakashi and Iruka.

                Naruto lifted his head, biting his lip in determination. He would go in the place of Iruka, and he'd have to go instantly before anyone could stop him.

                Without even caring to take anything with him, Naruto quickly walked quietly up to his room and and stood in front of his window. Casting a ghost of a smile towards his room, the sadness inside of him overwhelming. Naruto leapt out of the window, and landed gracelessly onto the ground, nearly breaking his arm in the process.

                "owww.." Naruto whined softly, hoping Iruka and Kakashi hadn't heard his little accident. Naruto jumped back up and without looking back, he began to run towards where the entrance to the forest was.

                He wanted this… Naruto told himself… he wanted this, he's been wanting to get away from his boring life in a long time.

                But… Naruto paused in midstep to touch his cheek briefly, why were his cheeks wet? When it wasn't raining?

***

Naruto

This story is experimental, which means if it doesn't go well, I'll just delete it and take it off the net. LOL^_^

This basically follows the storyline of Beauty and the Beast (I REALLY hated the story but it was well-suited for Naruto) 

Next chapter:

" You come in the place of Iruka?" A smooth tenor voice rolled out to him, and Naruto nodded, answering with a bitter glare at the man. The hooded man watched him intently as if studying the boy intently. He nodded slightly before pulling his hood down so that Naruto could see his face.

Naruto swallowed a startled gasp as his eyes quickly scanned over the delicate features of the boy that surprisingly looked near his age. Pale flawless porcelain skin that contrasted starkly with raven dark hair, and eyes that carried the wisdom of centuries. Black pools that held an air of cool indifference, yet holding a constant and distinctive awareness of everything around him.

He was… beautiful.

  __


	2. Jump

Oh my god… I actually continued this thing, I have completely shocked myself. I mean, even I, the most erm… wats da word again??? Damn… it's at the tip of my tongue….

Grrr~ I can't remember the word and therefore cannot continue my sentence.

You may b asking y Im marking out my stupidity for the world to know. Well now you know. It's coz I'm lame, stupid and boring.

Alright, lol~ There r so many amazing Naruto stories and Naruto authors out there now. It's so touching it makes me wanna cry! T___T It also makes me wanna cry because I feel so… miniscule compared to these amazing authors. I can't write like them, and I can't think up of these amazing plot like them!

But Im happy, because there r ppl such as them in the world so I can read their stories and go insane over how wonderful they r!!! heehee~ So here is where I say, I SUPPORT U!! PLEASE WRITE MORE!!!!!!

The end.

Part 2.

Naruto trudged along the worn path towards the large expanse of forestry that even thought seemed like a small distance away before turned out to be several miles away. Finally, after managing to dig through the rough terrain and close-set vegetation surrounding the forest, it was hardly any better inside of it. He lifted one heavy foot after another, and squirmed through small spaces between trees, thistles, thorns and other bugs that found him to be an easy victim. Naruto began to think twice of his sacrificial decision as he scratched in irritation at suspicious red blotches on his arms.

"Maaa- Where am I supposed to go anyways?" Naruto muttered bitterly, before he halted fully at the dawning of the realization that he held no clue as to _where _he was supposed to be, not accounting for when either. He felt a desperate sort of worry begin to enclose on him, ice-cold fingers wrapping around the quickening pouncing of his heart.

He didn't know where he was supposed to go. Hell, he probably couldn't even turn back.. He was sure that he was lost at this point, and this realization sunk down to the pit of his stomach and made him slightly sick. For all his courage and bravery, Naruto wished desperately that he had thought more about what he had chosen to do. Small miscalculations like these were going to make him pay.

Pay a lot. Naruto shivered unconsciously and he took a long looks at his surroundings, it only graced him with large and tall imposing trees that resembled a skeleton of some sort. Bare branches at the bottom whipped at him in the dry wind, like bony arms that reached for him. Naruto tilted his head up, hoping for some sort of way to find the time of the day, but he found that he could not see the sun because of the leaves that were as plentiful as they were not at the lower trunk of the tree. He could see though, that the sky had begun to recede to a purplish hue, and that sparked panic inside of him once again.

Naruto decided to turn the other to, not caring to bruise his pride by admitting to the fact that he should not have made such crude assumptions in the beginning. He had made a mistake, and he was willing to accept as long as he was out of the damn forest.

" Shit." Naruto uttered one single word as he looked around him and only saw the darkness of the coming of night slowly close on him. The already little light that had been filtered out by the leaves at the top was beginning to weaken, and Naruto feared of the possibility of having to wander around in the dark.

Shit. Shit. Shit. This situation was deserving of several curses, if not aloud. Wandering in the dark (something that Naruto was not exactly comfortable with already) in this forest? Naruto knew that he shouldn't be that afraid, but hearing the stories throughout his childhood about how the forest was cursed was bound to put 'some' sort of impression on him. And unmistakably, Naruto began to feel a cold sort of terror slide through his veins, chilling his blood.

_Demons live in the woods. Ones with razar sharp claws and ten inch teeth and black fiery eyes that seem to burn you when you look at them. _That was what someone told him before when he was a child, Naruto pondered briefly for a moment on whether it was his best friend Shikamaru, it was likely that he would tell him outrageous stories to pass time.

Outrageous? Hopefully.

Naruto picked up his pace, he was wary of the fact that even if there were no demons in the forest, there were plenty of other things that would harm him in the dark. The dark. Where he wouldn't be able to fight back. Naruto began to walk faster, his legs carrying him to some distance he was not even sure off. 

A sudden chill made him shiver as his blood went cold. He could have sworn- that someone was following. A sudden image flickered in his head of black fiery eyes following and tracking his every move, Naruto shuddered. He swore that if he was to ever meet Shikamaru again, he would beat the boy to a pulp.

Still, the feeling of being followed still lingered at the pit of his stomach, and Naruto began to run, afraid to look back at this point. The woods were barely visible at this point, the dark enveloped the trees like a blanket, making Naruto feel blind and vulnerable. Naruto did not cease his running though, because he could hear a fluttering behind him, and suddenly, he was hit by the possibility that this may not just be a figment of his imagination.

" Ieeee---!" Naruto was cut short as a foot hit air as he was running and he lunged forward into a pit of darkness. 

-----

"Huh?" Naruto woke up drowsily, lifting a sore arm upwards to rub his head and found his hair to be tangled with dry leaves. He opened his eyes with some trouble, and his heavy-lidded eyes scanned his surroundings. He was his back, and looking up, he saw a small clearing of trees just above him to expose the inky sky and a pale glowing orb that glowed a deep yellow-orange. It was a vaguely unsettling colour, like the yolk of an egg. 

" You're awake." A soft but deep voice stated.

Naruto gathered his strength to pull his upper body up and steadied himself with his elbows. He could still barely see, even with the moonlight, but he could see someone standing several feet away. As he rubbed his eyes, he blinked several times for good measure and returned his attention to the man in front of him. The figure had a thick cloak with a hood that adorned his head. The hood shadowed his face, and Naruto was instantly suspicious. 

" Who are you?" Naruto said groggily, his voice sounding like he had just awaken from a deep sleep and was still not in full control of vocal cords yet. The man did not answer, and Naruto found annoyed by that.

 "You come in the place of Iruka?" The smooth voice rolled out to him, and Naruto nodded, answering also with a bitter glare at the man. Hatred boiled up inside of him, the man standing several feet away from him was the man who ruined everything that was good in his life. The blond boy clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails sharply into his skin and drawing blood from his palms. The hooded man watched him intently as if studying the boy intently. He saw the blind fury that burned like a deep-set fire in those dark blue eyes, but made no notice of them. He nodded slightly before pulling his hood down so that Naruto could see his face.

Naruto swallowed a startled gasp as his eyes quickly scanned over the delicate features of the boy that surprisingly looked near his age. Pale flawless porcelain skin contrasted starkly with raven dark hair, and eyes that carried the wisdom of centuries. The grey pools that held an air of cool indifference, yet holding a constant and distinctive awareness of everything around him. It was almost ethereal the way the boy held himself, and he without even knowing it, was able to steal Naruto's breath away. 

He was… beautiful.

The boy's mouth stayed a grim line, as he studied Naruto more closely, and the blond boy flushed slightly to be so carefully scrutinized. The dark-haired boy inclined his head slightly, his hair fell to the side and then gave a brief nod.

" Follow me then." The boy swung his black hood back over his pale face, and Naruto found himself feeling disappointed for a split of a second. The dark-haired boy waved a hand for him to follow and began to fast steady pace towards a small opening of the clearing. Naruto's senses came back to him quickly as he regained composure with an angry flush and jumped up onto his feet, ignoring the ache in this back.

" Wait a minute!" Naruto yelled angrily and stomped his feet in anger, not caring about how childish it looked. " Who the hell are you? You never answered my question!" The boy paused in mid-step, his long cloak swirled his feet and he tilted his head to a side so that Naruto could see his soft profile. 

There was a brief moment of silence.

" Sasuke."

The dark-haired boy then resumed his walking. And Naruto was bewildered for a moment at the warped emotions stirred up by the name in his stomach, before he gave chase after Sasuke and walked into step beside him. Slightly puzzled, but unwilling to show it, Naruto remained quiet for a while, his face scrunched up in thought. They continued to walked through the forest, and there were several times whereas Naruto had to pick up his pace to keep up with the other boy. Sasuke seemed to walk with an undefined grace that set him apart from anyone else the blond boy had ever met, though he kept his eyes still on the unmarked pathway, he seemed so practiced at it that he did not miss a step, nor did he falter in any of them. They were firm, and Naruto struggled to walk like the other boy.

Practiced. Naruto pondered the word he had used. Practiced in what? In life? Naruto felt a chill run up his spine, to be practiced at life, how much wisdom must you gain to reach such a point?

The chill came not from only the morbid thought, Naruto realized, he had gone out wearing nothing but a shirt and shorts. The coldness bit at his exposed skin, making his teeth chatter and his hairs prickle up. He wondered where they were going, Sasuke made no sign of wanting to stop any time soon. In fact, the hood made it impossible for Naruto to see his face, and Naruto suddenly felt very tired, the pains from falling creeping back to him.

***

Sasuke for the long period of time did not speak a word, but he did manage to notice that the blond boy was slowing down. He noticed many things, he kept track with slight amusement that the other boy although was not able to keep at the steady stride worked hard to stay with the same pace as him. Sasuke did not even know what to with this strange blond-haired boy, he was not used to someone who made his already blatantly obvious feelings show so harshly with his face.

Sasuke had taken in people who tried to hide themselves behind masks, sometimes easily penetrated, at other times hard to crack. He always managed to see through them though, aware of their fear and insecurity, anger and resentment, as well as confusion and hopelessness. And in all situations, he had felt unreasonably annoyed with these emotions, and was always unable to keep anyone for more than half a year because of his lack of patience with such things.

But… he has seen no one yet quite like the boy he had just picked up. Of course, he had expected someone else. But there were often similar reactions in each of his victims, at first uncertainty, then a wild fear, possibly anger, lastly hopelessness. Sasuke was a little unused to the boy's lack of regard for hiding his emotions, instead, the blond-boy was had a vibrancy in his loud-spoken requests, the feeling was not sought to be hidden behind that voice.

Sasuke also wondered about exactly why the boy was willing to come in place of the other dark-haired man he had expected to receive. Could it have been a bribe? Could the soft-spoken seemingly kind-hearted man have a different persona to him and tricked the blond boy into taking in place? Sasuke was uncertain. 

Uncertainty. Something else Sasuke was not used to. He didn't like things he wasn't used to.

Sasuke felt a trifle bit irritated already, he wondered briefly just how long "this one" would last. 

***

" Iee." Naruto couldn't help whining after a while, his limbs were failing him, and he felt a comfortable drowsiness slowly drift over him. He didn't try to fight it because it was so cold, his feet were numb to a point that he could barely stand anymore.

Sasuke did not seem to notice him, and continued to walk along the endless path. Naruto tried again, anger welling up as he rubbed his freezing arms rapidly.

" Sasuke," Naruto paused for a moment, for the name tasted so foreign in his mouth, yet it gave him a tingling of exhileration that swept down to the tips of his toes and fingers. " Where are you bringing me?" Naruto finally ended off loudly, his patience wearing down.

The other boy finally stopped at the sound of his name and whipped around, casting slightly widened dark eyes onto Naruto. Naruto stared back at those eyes defiantly, uncaring of a small voice at the back of his head telling him to look away. The grey eyes were entrancing, and bottomless, and Naruto felt like he could almost fall into them somehow. Sasuke did not speak for a moment, and they stood staring, before the dark-haired boy finally walked forward and draped the cloak around Naruto's shivering body so swiftly and quickly Naruto almost did not notice. But the blanket of warmth that came rushing back to him nearly made the boy feel light-headed, and the sting of the cold throbbed back into numb body parts.

" Here." Sasuke said quietly, his voice like liquid silk. His face was just as impassive as ever, and Naruto was startled to find that the cold boy was standing so close to him that their toes were almost in contact. He was also a little puzzled to find that Sasuke was not as tall as he thought the boy would be, from afar, the aura and power that radiated off him made him seem far taller and imposing. Although the dark-haired boy was still a couple of inches taller, he stood at a height of most boys Naruto could easily beat up.

Naruto did not know what to do, and scanned his mind for the appropriate words to say. Would a thankyou be in order, Naruto wondered. But memories flooded back to him, and he remembered with fury that Sasuke was in fact keeping him captive. So Naruto instead looked away ungratefully without a word, feeling a spark of regret for doing so. 

He could feel Sasuke's eyes boring down on him for some more time, though he had inclined in head to a side so he could not see them. 

                Sasuke exhaled slowly, his shallow breath fanning across Naruto's flushed cheeks, before he stepped back to a more comfortable distance. " What is your name?" Sasuke requested calmly, as though the question was only an afterthought. Naruto felt suddenly small and insignifcant.

                " What's it to you?" Naruto said, making a nasty face without looking at Sasuke. 

                Sasuke stared at him stonily only for a second, before he grabbed Naruto's chin tightly in one hand and forced it to face him. The dark eyes drew out the startled blue ones once again, Sasuke leaned in close and whispered over the boy's lips. 

                " I don't like my toys talking back to me." Sasuke whispered harshly, his dark eyes searching, before he released the chin and glanced at him coldly. Naruto was stunned, he also felt unusually excited, the feeling of being watched by the quiet young man gave him an electrifying feeling that he was unaccustomed to. But boiling anger took place of that puzzling emotion, and Naruto instead drew back a fist to punch it squarely into Sasuke's face.

                There was a crunching sound, before a yowl sounded out from the dark-haired boy's throat, hardly from pain, but because he was caught completely off guard. Sasuke did not fall, but he drew back several steps as he clapped a hand over his nose and gave a bewildered glare at the blond-haired boy.

                Naruto cracked his knuckles threateningly, baring his teeth as he grinned in satisfaction of finally doing the very thing he had been wanting to do ever since he saw the other boy. He also enjoyed the look on Sasuke's face, he was finally able to see something apart from that boring empty gaze Sasuke had set on his face the entire time. Sasuke's eyes had widened almost comically, and for once, he looked quite unnerved.

                " I'm not toy dammit." Naruto retorted indignantly. He ungracefully tore the cloak off of him and threw it towards Sasuke. The other boy caught it unflinchingly, and when Sasuke took his hand away, Naruto was saddened by the fact that there was no physical mark left of the other boy's perfect face. " My name is Uzumaki Naruto asshole, and if you're gonna turn me into some slave around here, I demand that you do it right." Naruto finished off triumphantly, though he ended off in an uncertain note.

                He then walked off towards where he saw Sasuke heading to, taking a few steps before looking back and beckoning with waving arms at Sasuke. "Come on slowpoke, we better get there soon, I'm freezing my ass off." He yelled impatiently, he continued after he finished as he muttered under his breath curses about how evil walking is.

                Still in a rather shocked mode, Sasuke clutched his cloak to himself as he left an unfaltering gaze on the other boy's retreating back. He did not know what to think, and for once, he felt no need to. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be completely caught off guard, and somehow, he enjoyed the thrill that had come from it. He may have nearly gotten a broken nose from it, but Sasuke rethought over his former prediction:

                Naruto Uzumaki. How long will I "make" him last?

                Sasuke gave a chilling chuckle, one that almost scared himself. When had he ever had so much fun with one of his victims? He felt a wetness dribble from his nose to his lips and swiped at his quickly to find blood on his fingers. He then felt something unfamiliar form on his face, muscles not used in decades stretched unto use.

                He was smiling.

TCB… *laughs*

Ahaaa~ AHAHAHAAHAA~ ^___^;; This chapter is SO LAME, as you can see, I lamely attempted to incorperate some humour into the end because the chapter was completely boring me. I mean… god… it's SO BORING. When did I start writing this boringly??? HUH??? 

Dammit.

But it wasn't even funny -______- I dun feel like continuing this anymore, because I have NO CLUE where I'm going with this, and Im basically making shit up along the way XD hahahaa~ I'm such a hard working author am I not??

I also made this chapter like a billion times shorter than my first one… because Im lazy… and I dun really care to write more of it ^_^;; May another pang of inspiration hit me for another installation of this horrid parody of Beauty and the Beast.

Wait? Do parodies have to b funny???

-_____- ugh… I'm so friggin lame. Lol!!!

THANKYOU REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!! I'm so HAPPY and ESTATIC that I got so many reviews for my first crappy chapter, and I dun really expect much for my second and equally if not more crappy chapter!! Haha~ I crack myself up!!

But really, thanks a lot, if ppl actually read this thing, I might consider continuing this, but like there's a chance of THAT~ *laughs* If I happen to, then I'll make an effort to actually plan the plot out and see where it's going ^^; Coz frankly speaking, I have no clue at this point.

Sasuke is SO out of character.

I'm so random and nerdy.

So I'll stop talking now. Nerdiness over and signing out.


End file.
